Verlander, the Cy Young Award-winning right-hander who guided the Detroit Tigers to the AL Central crown by posting a 24-5 record, completed a rare double when he was named the AL MVP in a close vote.

He's the first starting pitcher to win the MVP in either league since his boyhood idol Roger Clemens with the Boston Red Sox in 1986, and the first player to accomplish the MPV-Cy Young combo since Oakland Athletics' closer Dennis Eckersley in 1992.

"I remember seeing (Clemens) won an MVP and thinking that may not happen again, and how impressive that was,'' Verlander said. "It means a lot to me to be the successor to that, to be the next starting pitcher to win an MVP.''

By any measure, Verlander was an overwhelming force on the mound. He won pitching's triple crown by leading the league in victories with a 24-5 record, ERA at 2.40 and strikeouts with 250.

He also threw the most innings (251) in the AL and finished with the best WHIP – walks plus hits per innings pitched – at 0.92, while holding hitters to the lowest batting average (.192) of any pitcher in the majors.

"Not even in my wildest dreams had I thought of this,'' Verlander said. "I want to say this is a dream come true. I can't say that, because my dream had already come true; it was to win the Cy Young. And the next dream is to win the World Series. This wasn't even on my radar until the talk started.''

After being named the Cy Young Award winner unanimously on Tuesday, Verlander said his case for MVP was boosted by the huge impact he had on games, even if he only pitched in 34. That separated him from the other leading candidates, who were all position players.

"If we have a bad day, 95 percent of the time we're going to lose. If we have a good day, 85-90 percent of the time we're going to win,'' Verlander said of starters.

"The one thing I have going for me is I'm so different from everybody else because I'm a pitcher, and everybody else involved has some flaws there, so maybe I can sneak in the back door.''

Some baseball followers didn't believe Verlander was even the MVP of his own team, as first baseman Miguel Cabrera had a legitimate case of his own.

Cabrera, who finished fifth in the voting with 193 points, ranked second in the league in on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) with a 1.033 mark, and his consistent production propped up a Tigers offense that sputtered in the first half.

The AL batting champ with a .344 average, Cabrera also had led the AL in on-base percentage (.448) and doubles (48) while hitting 30 homers and driving in 105 runs.

Ellsbury put together one of the most productive seasons of any leadoff hitter in memory, batting .321 with 32 homers, 105 RBI, 119 runs scored and 39 steals.

He became the first Boston player to achieve the 30-30 combo and ranked fifth in the league in OPS, helping the Red Sox stay in contention for a playoff spot until losing out on the final day of the season. That was hardly Ellsbury's fault, as he batted .358 with eight homers and 21 RBIs in September.

Ellsbury, who also won a Gold Glove for his defense in center field, was the first AL player to combine at least 30 homers, 30 steals and 100 RBI since Alfonso Soriano did it with the Texas Rangers in 2005.

"Congrats to Justin Verlander,'' Ellsbury said via Twitter. "Thanks to all the writers that voted for me.''

Red Sox teammate Adrian Gonzalez, a favorite for the MVP for part of the season, finished seventh in the voting despite batting .338 with 27 home runs and 117 RBI.

Bautista was arguably the majors' most productive hitter, as he had the most homers (43) and the highest OPS (1.056). But, for the second year in a row, his candidacy was scuttled by the Blue Jays' mediocre record. They finished fourth in the AL East at 81-81.

The previous season, Bautista ranked fourth in the MVP voting despite leading the majors with 54 homers and driving in 124 runs.

Granderson, traded from the Tigers to the Yankees two years ago, wielded the most potent bat in the majors' second-most prolific offense, which carried the Yankees to the AL East title and the league's best record.

After making mechanical adjustments with the help of hitting coach Kevin Long, Granderson hit 17 home runs after the All-Star break in 2010, then continued at that torrid pace last season.

Granderson reached career highs with 41 homers and an AL-leading 119 RBI, and also scored the most runs in the majors, 136, while stealing 25 bases.

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